Bears run defense showed signs of life before injuries

It’s easy to look at the 29 points the Philadelphia Eagles put up in Monday night’s victory over the Bears and think that the Bears defense was a disaster, but when you take a closer look at the numbers, it’s not as discouraging.

The Bears’ run defense held both Darren Sproles and Ryan Mathews to under four yards per carry while keeping the team average to 3.1. The fact that the Eagles had over 100 rushing yards had more to do with them milking the clock at the end of the game when the outcome was determined.

Credit this kind of run defense success to the interior linebackers, Danny Trevathan and Jerrell Freeman, and the active bodies of the defensive line.

The issue the Bears now face is the mounting injuries. Nose tackle Eddie Goldman and outside linebacker Lamarr Houston both went down with injuries in Monday night’s contest. Safety Adrian Amos and nickel back Bryce Callahan were lost as well.

It’s difficult to stomach this turn of events because the Bears defense was actually showing signs of improvement with young players gaining valuable playing experience. That progress will seemingly be halted if the injuries continue to pile up.

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